San Tan Valley weather in December

In December, San Tan Valley sees average daytime highs of 65°F and overnight lows near 43°F, with 1.3 in of rain across 4.3 wet days and about 9.8 hours of daylight. It is the 12th-warmest and 3rd-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about 67°F in the first days to 63°F by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 58% of the time in December, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 10 hours at the start of December to 9 h 48 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is San Tan Valley's 10th-clearest and 9th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see San Tan Valley's year-round climate.

Daytime high
65°
12th warmest
Overnight low
43°
2nd coldest
Rainfall
1.3 in
4.3 wet days
Daylight
9 h 48 min
7:28 AM – 5:17 PM
Cloud cover
37%
10th clearest
Wind
5 mph
9th windiest
Solar energy
3.19 kWh/m²
Travel score
7.0
out of 10

San Tan Valley is unincorporated community in Pinal County, Arizona, United States of America.

Founded
2009

Air quality: WHO Ambient Air Quality Database. Density & description: Wikidata (CC0), GeoNames.

Temperature in December

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Highs ease over the month, from about 67°F in the first days to 63°F by the end.

A typical December day in San Tan Valley reaches about 65°F in the afternoon and slips back to 43°F overnight — a 22°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 55°F and 73°F. Set against its neighbours, December runs about 10°F cooler than November and on par with January.

40°60°80°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
16845
26845
36745
46745
56744
66644
76644
86644
96644
106544
116544
126543
136543
146443
156443
166443
176442
186442
196442
206342
216342
226342
236342
246342
256342
266342
276342
286342
296342
306342
316342

How December really feels in San Tan Valley

Once humidity and wind are folded in, December averages 0 days that feel above 90°F and 0 that feel at or below 32°F — the comfort signal a plain temperature reading hides.

Days feeling ≥ 90°F
0
heat index over the day's high
Days feeling ≤ 32°F
0
wind chill below the day's low

December sits comfortably in between — no days that feel dangerously hot or drop to a hard freeze once humidity and wind are folded in.

San Tan Valley weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 12th-warmest and 3rd-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan65° / 43°1.54.210.17.2
Feb69° / 46°1.64.410.87.5
Mar75° / 50°1.1311.78.4
Apr83° / 56°0.31.412.87.5
May92° / 65°0.20.713.74.4
Jun101° / 74°0.10.614.21.0
Jul103° / 81°0.83.8140.3
Aug101° / 80°1.14.913.20.8
Sep97° / 74°1.03.212.22.5
Oct87° / 62°0.72.411.26.3
Nov74° / 51°0.72.510.38.5
Dec65° / 43°1.34.39.87.0

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 58% of the time in December.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 12% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 30%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
17129
27129
37129
47129
57129
67129
77129
87129
97129
107129
117129
127129
137129
147129
157129
167129
177129
187129
197129
207129
217129
227129
237129
247030
256931
266931
276931
286832
296832
306832
316832

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitation

San Tan Valley gets around 1.3 in of rain over 4.3 wet days in December. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable rain averages around 14% and peaks near 15% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
111
212
312
412
513
613
713
813
913
1013
1113
1213
1314
1414
1514
1614
1714
1814
1914
2014
2114
2214
2314
2414
2515
2615
2715
2815
2915
3015
3115

Humidity in December

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

Most of December feels dry — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.

By dew point, December lands in the dry band about 100% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)
1100
2100
3100
4100
5100
6100
7100
8100
9100
10100
11100
12100
13100
14100
15100
16100
17100
18100
19100
20100
21100
22100
23100
24100
25100
26100
27100
28100
29100
30100
31100

Wind in December

Winds average 5 mph in December.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 5 mph on the calmest days to 6 mph at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (mph)Feels
15calm
25calm
35calm
45calm
55calm
65calm
75calm
85calm
95calm
105calm
115calm
125calm
135calm
145calm
155calm
165calm
175calm
185calm
195calm
205calm
215calm
225calm
235calm
245calm
255calm
265calm
275calm
285calm
295calm
305calm
316calm

Sunrise & sunset in December

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 10 hours at the start of December to 9 h 48 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 12 minutes over December. Sunrise moves from 7:17 AM to 7:34 AM, and sunset from 5:15 PM to 5:24 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
110.07:175:15
29.97:185:15
39.97:195:15
49.97:195:15
59.97:205:15
69.97:215:15
79.97:225:15
89.97:225:15
99.97:235:15
109.97:245:15
119.87:255:15
129.87:255:16
139.87:265:16
149.87:275:16
159.87:275:16
169.87:285:17
179.87:285:17
189.87:295:17
199.87:295:18
209.87:305:18
219.87:315:19
229.87:315:19
239.87:315:20
249.87:325:20
259.87:325:21
269.87:335:21
279.87:335:22
289.87:335:22
299.87:345:23
309.87:345:24
319.87:345:24

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 3.19 kWh/m² — the year's lowest.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 3.19 kWh/m² to a high of 8.45 kWh/m² in June across the year — December's 3.19 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

01234151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
13.4Moderate
23.3Moderate
33.3Moderate
43.3Moderate
53.3Moderate
63.2Moderate
73.2Moderate
83.2Moderate
93.2Moderate
103.2Moderate
113.2Moderate
123.2Moderate
133.2Moderate
143.1Moderate
153.1Moderate
163.1Moderate
173.1Moderate
183.1Moderate
193.1Moderate
203.1Moderate
213.1Moderate
223.2Moderate
233.2Moderate
243.2Moderate
253.2Moderate
263.2Moderate
273.2Moderate
283.2Moderate
293.2Moderate
303.2Moderate
313.2Moderate
Planning a trip in December

Is December a good time to visit San Tan Valley?

Our two travel scores rate December for general sightseeing and for beach or pool weather — 0 (poor) to 10 (ideal).

7.0
Sightseeing
6th-best month of the year
2.5
Beach & pool
12th-best month of the year

December is one of the better times to visit San Tan Valley for general sightseeing.

What to pack for San Tan Valley in December

From December's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.

In December, San Tan Valley sees daytime highs around 65°F and nights near 43°F. Worth packing: a warm layer. About 4 days see rain.

a warm layer

UV index in San Tan Valley in December

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in December peaks around 3 — enough to warrant sun protection. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in San Tan Valley peaks around June 23 at about 11 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 20 at about 3 (moderate).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — every month of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateVery highExtremeVery highHighModerateJun 23UV 11Dec 20UV 3
UV index (midday)Level
Jan4Moderate
Feb5Moderate
Mar5Moderate
Apr7Very high
May9Very high
Jun11Extreme
Jul11Extreme
Aug11Extreme
Sep9Very high
Oct6High
Nov4Moderate
Dec3Moderate

Air quality in San Tan Valley in December

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see where December falls, not just the annual average.

Air quality in San Tan Valley is worst in June — around 28 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.2× the cleanest month (October, 12 µg/m³).

Modeled monthly averages (CAMS reanalysis, 2015–2024).

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateJun 1626 µg/m³Oct 1212 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan13Moderate
Feb13Moderate
Mar14Moderate
Apr14Moderate
May14Moderate
Jun28Moderate
Jul14Moderate
Aug13Moderate
Sep13Moderate
Oct12Moderate
Nov13Moderate
Dec13Moderate
Location & terrain

Where is San Tan Valley?

San Tan Valley sits at 33.2°N, 111.5°W, 1,516 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Queen Creek, 7.5 mi away.

Topography around San Tan Valley

How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 2, 10 and 50 miles of San Tan Valley.

Within 2 miles, the terrain around San Tan Valley has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 92 ft around an average of 1,516 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,066 ft; within 50 miles, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 7,251 ft.

The land around San Tan Valley is covered by cropland (40%) and bare terrain (25%) within 2 miles, bare terrain (28%), grassland (27%) and shrubs (25%) within 10 miles, and shrubs (58%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
92 ft
10 miles
1,066 ft
50 miles
7,251 ft
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
December weather nearby: Queen Creek 7.5 mi · Florence 14 mi · Apache Junction 16 mi · Gilbert 19 mi · Chandler 20 mi · Mesa 24 mi · Casa Grande 25 mi · Tempe 27 mi

United States travel facts

Power plugs
Type A / B
120 V · 60 Hz
Prices
≈ 100% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$90,027
2025
Happiness
6.8 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Safe drinking water
98%
of population, 2024
Homicide rate
5.8
per 100k, 2023
Road deaths
12.7
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
High
World Bank
Religion
Protestant 47%unaffiliated 23%Roman Catholic 21%Jewish 2%

Sources: World Bank, US State Department, World Happiness Report, WHO/UNICEF, EF EPI, CIA World Factbook.

Data sources

Temperature, precipitation, cloud, humidity, wind and solar figures are a 1991–2020 climatology for San Tan Valley (33.1911°, -111.528°, elevation 1,516 ft), computed from hourly ERA5 reanalysis — contains modified Copernicus Climate Change Service information. Sun figures are astronomical calculations, not observations. City data © GeoNames, CC BY 4.0. Map outlines from Natural Earth (public domain); interactive map © Google. UV index is derived from CAMS (Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service) clear-sky UV data — contains modified Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service information. Monthly air-quality (PM2.5) seasonality is from the CAMS EAC4 reanalysis (Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service), scaled to the WHO annual mean where available. Topography is sampled from the Copernicus DEM GLO-90 elevation model (© ESA/Airbus) and ESA WorldCover 2021 land cover (CC BY 4.0).